X
- 1972
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
- 1972
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
Summary Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
Directed By: Michael Ritchie
Written By: Jeremy Larner
- 1972
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
- 1972
- PG
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 50 m
The Candidate
66
6.7
Where to Watch
Summary Bill McKay is a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. He has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment.
Directed By: Michael Ritchie
Written By: Jeremy Larner
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
66
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
20% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
10% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
66
70% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
20% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
10% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
The Candidate is an excellent drama starring Robert Redford as a naive liberal political novice who wises up fast...Redford’s superior acting talents, which not-often-enough are tapped by the scripts he decides to do, are nearly all on display herein in a virtuoso peformance.
What viewers will most clearly remember long after the screen goes dark is Redford’s sympathetic portrayal of a good man seduced by the mere prospect of power.
One of the few good, truly funny American political comedies ever made.
A fairly obvious story, perhaps, but one that is helped enormously both by Ritchie's reluctance to move away from simulated realism into melodramatic plotting, and by his customary generosity, clear-eyed and unsentimental, towards his characters.
Handlers, spin-doctors, and the good man they lead astray. Jeremy Larner's Academy Award-winning screenplay provides a voyage into the sea of politics; the result is a fascinating film that sometimes feels like a documentary. Despite minor glitches, this is a prophetic glimpse of politics in the age of TV.
Redford's inability to suggest any irony about himself finally sinks it—it's the only sanctimonious satire you'll ever see.
But why would so many critics fall for a piece of cheese like “The Candidate?” Robert Redford cultism? Partly, I suppose.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
6.7
57% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
43% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 7 User Ratings
6.7
57% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
43% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Redford-Ritchie Productions,
Wildwood Enterprises
Release Date Jun 29, 1972
Duration 1 h 50 m
Rating PG
Tagline Too Handsome. Too Young. Too Liberal. Doesn't have a chance. He's PERFECT!
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Writers Guild of America, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
